noun
Meaning 1
One who informs someone else about something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
informer
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)mə(ɹ)
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CMU ARPABET: IH2 N F AO1 R M ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Being an informer often meant living in fear.
- The police relied on an informer to catch the gang.
- He acted as an informer during the rebellion.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
One who informs, animates, or inspires.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- 1729, Alexander Pope, Prologue to Sophonisba (by James Thomson Nature, informer of the poet's art.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
one who reveals confidential information in return for money
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: betrayer, rat, squealer, blabber
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: informant, source
Narrower terms: fink, snitch, snitcher, stoolpigeon, stool pigeon, stoolie, sneak, sneaker, canary, nark, copper's nark, supergrass, grass
History
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English enformour, from Anglo-Norman enfourmour; equivalent to inform + -er.
Across languages
Translations
67 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Catalan: informador — one who informs
- Catalan: informant — one who informs
- Czech: informátor — one who informs
- Finnish: tietolähde — one who informs
- French: informateur — one who informs
- Galician: informante — one who informs
- German: Informant — one who informs
- German: Hinweisgeber — one who informs
- German: Tippgeber — one who informs
- German: Zuträger — one who informs
- Greek: πληροφοριοδότης (pliroforiodótis) — one who informs
- Ancient Greek: συκοφάντης (sukophántēs) — one who informs
- Hebrew: מלשין (malshin) — one who informs
- Italian: informatore — one who informs
- Italian: divulgatore — one who informs
- Central Kurdish: ئاگادار (agadar) — one who informs
- Kyrgyz: билмелөөчү (bilmelööcü) — one who informs
- Māori: kaiwhakaatu — one who informs
- Polish: informator — one who informs
- Portuguese: informante — one who informs
- Portuguese: informador — one who informs
- Russian: информа́тор (informátor) — one who informs
- Russian: осведоми́тель (osvedomítelʹ) — one who informs
- Russian: осведоми́тельница (osvedomítelʹnica) — one who informs
- Spanish: informador — one who informs
- Spanish: informadora — one who informs
- Tagalog: tagahimaton — one who informs
- Tagalog: impormador — one who informs
- Tagalog: impormadora — one who informs
- Welsh: amlygwr — one who informs
- Belarusian: дано́счык (danósčyk) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Belarusian: дано́счыца (danósčyca) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Bulgarian: доно́сник (donósnik) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Bulgarian: доно́сница (donósnica) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Bulgarian: доно́сничка (donósnička) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Czech: udavač — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Czech: udavačka — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Finnish: tietolähde — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Finnish: ilmiantaja — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- German: Denunziant — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- German: Verpfeifer — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- German: Ausplauderer — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Gothic: 𐍆𐌴𐍂𐌾𐌰 (fērja) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Greek: καταδότης (katadótis) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Hebrew: מַלְשִׁין (malshín) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Hebrew: מוֹסֵר (mosér) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Hungarian: besúgó — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Irish: brathadóir — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Italian: informatore — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Latin: dēlātor — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Old English: melda — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Polish: informator — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Polish: informatorka — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Portuguese: informante — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Portuguese: delator — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Russian: доно́счик (donósčik) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Russian: доно́счица (donósčica) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Russian: стука́ч (stukáč) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Scottish Gaelic: brathadair — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Spanish: informador — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Spanish: informadora — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Tagalog: tagahimaton — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Tagalog: impormador — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Tagalog: impormadora — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Ukrainian: доно́щик (donóščyk) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Ukrainian: доно́щиця (donóščycja) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity
- Yiddish: מסור (moser) — person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity